Siblings?
by Javanos
Summary: It has been five(5) years since Ash(17) and Dawn(15) traveled together through Sinnoh. Over the years, they have grown to be very close friends, to the point of looking like they are brother and sister. But is there something more between the two? Oneshot, Pearlshipping, AshxDawn, Rated K


**A/N: Hey everyone! New story! AHHHH Javanos has released a new oneshot! Ok, now that that hype is out of the way, I would like to say that I have worked on this oneshot on and off (99% of it was off) for about 3 years... apparently. Anyway, Thanks to Beastmode953 for giving me the idea for this fic.  
****Disclaimer: Javanos does not own Pokemon, nor any affiliated names.  
Ash: 17 years old  
Dawn: 15 years old**

* * *

**Siblings?**

"WE ARE NOT SIBLINGS!" Ash yells, finally fed up with his friends.  
"Shhhhhhhh! Are you trying to wake up everyone in the house!?" his friends quickly say before taking a deep breath.

Ash looked around, slightly embarrassed, but still more angry that his friends were so persistent.  
The Twinleaf Town festival was in a few days, and so Dawn had invited Ash, since he had told her over the videophone that he would like to go this year. Ash, in turn, asked if he could invite some friends, half of which were the people Ash was now glaring at. It was bright and sunny when Ash had called his friends to invite them to the festival. He invited Gary, Brock, Tracey, May, Misty and Leaf. They all gladly accepted, especially Misty and Tracey. They hadn't seen Ash in so long, they were getting close to thinking he had forgotten about them. _  
How did everything end up so rotten?_ Ash thought before he was interrupted by a voice that sounded like it was coming from a nose.  
"I'm just saying, you and Dawn seem more like siblings than boyfriend and girlfriend, at least to me." Gary said, moving past Ash's outbreak.  
"Really? How so!?" Ash demanded uncharacteristically.

"Well, it is just the way you two interact with each other... It's kind of hard to give specifics though." Brock cut in, voicing his opinion on the matter.

Ash wasn't sure what to do, they had been arguing for over 2 hours now, and neither side was budging on their opinions. So Ash simply got up, pulled his blue jeans and red sneakers on and then chose his white and light blue hoodie and said "I'm going for a walk, I'll be back later."  
He walked out the door and closed it, leaving the guys in quiet.  
_They'll all be asleep by the time I get back,_ Ash thinks as he makes a large yawn, stretching his arms upwards and opening his mouth wide. _Man, I want to fall asleep too, but something is nagging me too much to let me, and Pikachu is already asleep, so I can't talk to him. Hmmm, well a nice stroll always helps to clear my head. _Ash quietly opened and closed the front door, slipping out into the moonlight night, walking towards the woods to find a good spot to think.

**[cut to Dawn's room]**

"It is so cute! Whenever I see them together it is like watching an older brother help his little sister out!" Leaf said. Leaf had been on a few trips with Ash and Dawn, bringing Gary along with them so she wasn't just a third wheel. "Ash is so nice to Dawn and is always trying to help her, but they can get into fights about the littlest things. It is so precious!" she continued on, almost squealing.  
"Are we really like that?" Dawn asked innocently.

"You two do tend to do stuff like that. I've only been around the two of you since we got to this house and I notice it." Misty replied with a smile on her face.  
Dawn however furrowed her thin eyebrows as her forehead creased and the corners of her faintly pink lips turned down into a very slight frown.

_Do we really look that much like a brother and sister? Does Ash see us as being brother and sister?_ Dawn thought as she slowly stood up, hugging her pillow to her body, she started walking towards the glass doors leading to the balcony outside.

"Huh? Where you going Dawn?" May asked, thinking she saw Dawn's normally cheerful face looking rather upset just a few moments ago.

"Oh, well the moon looks so pretty, I was going to go out on the balcony and look at it for a bit. Besides, I think I need some fresh air, it is getting kind of stuffy in here."  
"Oh, alright, well just making sure."

Dawn turned back around, loosing the fake smile she put on, and opened the glass double doors. A breeze blew through the open doors and rustled a few loose papers. Dawn walked out onto the white, moonlit balcony and closed the door behind her before walking to the railing, looking up longingly at the big white circle in the sky.

**[fade to Lake Verity]**

*plop plop plop plop*

"Yes! That's six skips! A new record!" Ash exclaimed, throwing a fist into the cool, crisp night air.

He looked out with a smile on his face. _Man, this feels great! I don't know why, but it is nice to get away from everyone once in a while. The only time I hear anything other than nature is when I'm talking, or skipping rocks._

The surface of the lake was mostly calm, with only a few small ripples, from the stones Ash was skipping, to disturb the mirror-like reflection of the night sky on the lake. At night, the normally clear, blue water was an opaque, midnight blue, a stark contrast to the pale full moon that was reflected in the water. The moon was bright enough to drown out the light from distant stars, and it illuminated the island in the middle of the lake, and the trees surrounding the lake, with a silvery glow. Ash's arm was pulled back, bent at his elbow and wrist poised to throw the next stone he had in his hand.

"_**Hey Ash**_"

"Huh? Is someone there?" Ash said aloud, wondering who, or what, was calling him. He relaxed his arm so it was at his side, matching his other arm in a normal position. Turning his head, he looked around the beach.

"That's funny, I swear I heard someone call my name..." Ash said with a confused look on his face.

He turned back to the lake since the only thing he heard now was the crickets and frogs, but instead of getting ready to skip the rock in his hand, he stared at the island in the center of the lake.

_Lake Verity... Didn't Dawn say she saw Mesprit here? That's right she did!... Wow, heh that was a long time ago, close to when I first met her actually. How long ago was that?... five or six years? Yeah, wow was it really that long ago? I certainly don't feel like we have known each other that long... _

A cool breeze gently blew through the area, making the leaves on the trees rustle slightly and making soft ripples in the water.  
_…Why did I get so upset at the guys? They were just saying what they thought. I haven't told any of them how I really felt about Dawn before that, and I guess I did over react when Gary originally said we were like siblings. Maybe I should have talked to Dawn about how I feel already, but what if she doesn't like me back? We could still be close friends right?... Right?... What if I've already waited too long? All the guys think we are like siblings, what if Dawn thinks so too? Then if I ask her, things could get really awkward. But..._ "AARRGGGHHHH!" Ash yelled into the night, stomping his feet and throwing his head up and pulling at his hair, but not actually pulling any out. "WHY DOES THIS HAVE TO BE SO COMPLICATED!?"

He let out a heavy sigh as he buries his face into the palms of his hands. "I wish life was like it was back when I first met her. It was so much simpler then." he let out another sigh as a single tear made a trail down his face.

**[cut to Dawn's balcony]**

_The moon sure looks nice tonight._ Dawn thought as she stared up into the sky. She let out a heavy sigh and leaned on the rail with her elbows, resting her face in her palms.  
Before she could start to organize her thoughts, the rolling sound of the glass door behind her was heard as it opened.  
"Hey, you alright?" a soft voice came from the open glass door.  
"Huh?" Dawn turned her head and found May standing in the lighted doorway, just peaking her head out the door. "Oh, yeah... I'm fine, I just wanted some fresh air and the moon looks very pretty tonight." Dawn replied, wanting to give an answer that would let her continue to be alone in her thoughts.

"You sure?" May asked, even less confident that everything was fine, with Dawn's cliché answer.

"Yeah, I'm sure..." Dawn replied with a hint of exasperation. _I really don't feel like explaining this whole thing to anyone really, because I'm not completely sure how to say it in the first place...  
_"I'm sorry if that comment about you and Ash being like siblings offended you or anything." May said after a few moments of silence had passed.  
Dawn felt a lump suddenly appear in her throat as she made a near audible gulp. _How did May guess that of all things? Does she know how I feel? What if she tells the other girls and they all make fun of me? What if..._  
"Is that why you are upset Dawn? Because we said you and Ash are like siblings?" May further pressed the issue.  
Dawn wasn't sure what to think anymore, tears started welling up in her beautifully deep, blue eyes. She made a small noise and slowly nodded.

"I thought that was the problem." May said gently and kindly. She opened the door a bit more and slipped outside, closing the door behind her so the other girls wouldn't start eavesdropping. The brunette took a few steps, standing next to Dawn now, and wrapped her arms around the sad, younger girl.  
"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked gently to Dawn, who was getting close to actually crying.

Dawn simply nodded her head again, sniffling in May's warm embrace as May guided them down to a corner of the balcony to sit down. They just sat there a while, in a silence that was occasionally broken by the sound of sniffling coming from Dawn, while May tenderly held Dawn, like a mother would hold onto her crying child. Dawn took a few shaky breaths to try and get herself under control. _Why? Why is it tonight of all nights I decide to break down? Well duh, everyone just told you that you are like a sister to Ash, meaning there is no chance he would choose me. In fact, he will probably choose May. At least, that is the choice he would make if his stomach is making the decision... Which knowing Ash, is actually a good possibility._

At this though, through her teary eyes, Dawn let out a little chuckle and giving a tiny smile. To May, it looked as though the Sun had managed to find a hole in a blanket of clouds, letting it's warm rays shine light on the Earth even if only for a second or two. _I'm glad that she is starting to feel better._

"Are you feeling any better Dawn?" May asked quietly.

"Yeah, a little." Dawn replied, so quietly though it was more a squeak than speaking.

"So I'm assuming that from your reaction, you don't think of Ash as a brother."

"No, I don't think of Ash as a brother...a-and... I hope he doesn't think of me as a sister." Dawn replied.

"But why? We meant it in an endearing way. You two are so cute together and..."

"NO!-" Dawn interrupted May mid-sentence, yelling so loudly that the girls could hear a crash from the boys room, meaning that someone had just fallen off of... whatever they were sleeping on... knowing the boys, one of them were sleeping on a dresser or something since they refused to sleep in the same bed yet complained about sleeping on the "hard floor" because it would "ruin" their backs, despite the fact that the floor was carpeted and soft.

"-no..." Dawn said, returning her voice to the volume it was before she would wake all of Twinleaf Town.

"...Dawn?...Do you **like** Ash?" May asked, having already suspected as much, but still asking just to confirm her suspicions.

Dawn sat there quietly, not giving any reaction to may's question. She looked up at the pale moon as a single tear made a shimmery trail leading from her beautiful cobalt eyes, down her soft cheek, before reaching her chin and falling onto the wooden planks of the balcony.

"Dawn?" May said inquisitively, moving her hands to Dawns shoulders as she held her at arms length and looked into her eyes, trying to find something, May wasn't even sure what she was looking for, just something.

"...yes..." Dawn answered so quietly, May couldn't understand what she said.

"...Yes, I-I-I... I do really like Ash."

Dawn admitted in a small whisper, but loud enough for May to hear her as she continued.

"But when you guys say that we seem more like brother and sister, I can't help but think, if you guys think that, maybe Ash thinks that too... What if Ash thinks of me as a sister, instead of a friend? Would he think it is weird that I like him as something more than that?" Dawn continued on and on with her insecurities, tearing up a little more at each one she listed.  
_Dawn looks so delicate and fragile right now that it is almost saddening to even look at her._ May thought, feeling sorry for her friend and all that she and the other girls had unintentionally put her through. May hugged her hyperventilating friend, stroking her hair, and gently whispered "It's ok Dawn, I'm sure Ash sees you as a good friend and not a sister." May smiled even though Dawn couldn't see her, "Ash is so dense, I'm sure he hasn't even ever thought about how he would feel if any of us went up to him and told him we liked him more than a friend." May added on at a normal speaking volume.  
By now Dawn had stopped hyperventilating and took a deep breath to get herself really under control, and processed what May just said; she let out a small giggle "you're probably right about Ash not even having thought about being in that situation." Dawn smiled "Thanks for worrying and cheering me up May! I'm feeling much better now!"  
"Alright, if you're feeling better, I'm going to head inside, getting sleepy." May yawned and stretched, heading for the room door and before opening it, turned around, "Remember Dawn, if something is bothering you, you don't need to keep it to yourself, we are your friends, just tell us and we will be there for you." May looked at Dawn to make sure she heard her.  
Dawn smiled and nodded, and walked inside the room with May as she opened the door and headed to their separate beds.**  
**After a few minutes, Dawn got out of her bed, walking to the door she was just about to open it when she felt a hand land on her shoulder. She looked back and she saw May.  
"You sure you're fine Dawn?" May asked, obviously still worried from earlier.  
"Yeah I'm fine, just going to get a drink and perhaps go for a walk since it is such a nice night. Don't worry, I really am fine. Now you need to go to sleep, I don't want to be the cause of a grumpy May in the morning." Dawn whispered jokingly.  
"Alright, fine... and I'm not that bad!" May whispered back, heading to her bed.  
Dawn just smiled and left the room, closing the door quietly behind her and headed downstairs and outside.  
Once outside, Dawn looked around taking a deep breath breathing in the warm night air as she had done so much that night. _I guess I'll head towards the lake, it is normally a nice place and with this sky it should look really pretty._ Dawn started walking down the brown dirt path towards the forest, where the lake was located, the bleached white light of the moon lighting her path. _I'm sorry for lying May, but I just need to think this through myself. _Dawn paused for a second as she reached the entrance to the forest. The green leaves of the trees shone with the soft white of the moonlight that penetrated through the branches to bathe, the normally midnight black floor of the forest, in a soft white and slowly faded to a bleached blue color that shrouded the furthest back trees that Dawn could see. She could hear the chirruping and hum of the residents of the forest. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, smelling the refreshing scent of the forest. A light crunching sound was heard as Dawn began walking along the path again.  
_I'm glad that May tried to help me, and be comforting, but she makes it sound like I can just stop thinking and worrying when I can't. It's hard to just ignore my thoughts, especially when they talk about Ash and me. I mean, I hope Ash doesn't see me as his sister, but what if he does? Will I ever take a step forward and ask him? Wouldn't that be like asking him out though?... agh! _Dawn started walking a little faster, wanting to get to the lake and sit._ Well I should reach the lake soon, maybe I can figure my thoughts out there. _Dawn saw the clearing and heard the sound of the lake lapping against the shoreline. She walked into the clearing around the lake and stood amazed by the beauty before her. Taking off her shoes and socks, she took a few steps into the lake letting the dark, cool waves gently lap against her soft, pale skin. _Ahhhh, this is nice,_ she thought as she took yet another deep breath, spreading out her arms to bathe in the moonlight. _It's so peaceful here, whenever I have trouble I can come out here and think things through._ Dawn looked around the lake clearing before setting her gaze upon the island in the middle. _It is said that Mesprit, the being of emotion, used to live in the cave on that island. Mesprit huh, five years ago I met Mesprit here. After that, I ended up on a whirlwind of an adventure when I met Ash. _

She waded out of the lake and laid down in the soft grass, soaking up the night dew and feeling its refreshing chill against her warm body. Gazing into the sky, imprinting the sight of the white full moon set against the shining night sky filled with stars, Dawn closed her eyes, feeling a gentle wind sweep across clearing, hearing the calm waves lap against the shore and the slight rustling of leaves blown in the breeze. _Five years huh... so much has changed from back then... I can't think of any time when I felt more alive than back then. Haha, look at me, I'm only 15 years old, yet I'm thinking like an old lady reminiscing about her days of glory. _Slowly, she felt herself falling asleep, letting the quiet peaceful mood seep into her brain and calm her thoughts.  
"Six! Yes! A new record!" Dawn heard a voice very faintly as she was about to fall asleep. _Ash? Is that Ash's voice I hear? _She lay still, listening a few more seconds... _Nothing... I guess I'm just hearing things. _As she was letting herself relax again she heard the voice say "Six again! Yes!"  
_That is most definitely Ash, but there is no way he is out here at this time of night... And what is he doing?_ Dawn sat up, rubbing her eyes, and looked around. Not seeing anything from where she sat she slowly stood up, gave a light stretch and started walking around the lake. After a little while, she saw a distant silhouette skipping rocks on the lake. Moving closer, she began to hear the *plopplopplop*** **of the stones jumping across the surface of the water.  
Dawn stopped a short distance away and mustered her courage calling out "Ash? Is that you?"

Ash was about to throw another rock when he heard the voice, stopping mid-throw to find who the voice belonged to. To his surprise, he found Dawn further down the shore "Dawn?" he asked.  
"Ash! It's really you!" Dawn replied, and walked the rest of the distance to Ash.

Ash's mind was a confused jumble of thoughts as Dawn walked closer. He put the rock down and tried to quickly organize his thoughts. "What are you doing out here?" Ash asked Dawn, finally able to pin down something to say.  
"I could ask the same to you, why are you out here skipping rocks at such a late time?" Dawn replied, not sure how respond to the question. "Oh, well, just... thinking I guess." Ash replied, deciding to be honest, and having a lack of time to come up with a valid excuse. "Thinking? About what?" Dawn questioned Ash with a curious look on her face. She spotted a nearby bench, walked over to it and sat down.

"Oh you know, just... stuff... like... training my pokemon, and stuff." Ash said, walking over to the bench and taking a seat next to Dawn who replied with an "Oh, I see..."  
The two sat there on the bench in silence for a while, taking in the calm scenery which was as much a contrast to Ash's mind as the shining moon was with the night. _Oh man, why is Dawn here? Where did she come from? Why now? Should I tell her about what is going on? Is she cold? Should I lend her my vest? _Ash's thoughts were disrupted as he felt a weight lean against him and rest its head on his shoulder. He could faintly smell the earthy scent of grass and dirt on her hair, as well as the pleasant smelling shampoo she uses. Ash made a decision then and steeled himself, taking a deep breath and began to speak.  
"Actually Dawn, I wasn't thinking about any of the things I told you." Dawn lifted her head and looked at Ash.  
"I wasn't thinking about training, or battling. What I was thinking about... was you." Ash said, looking straight into her deep blue eyes which began to widen after hearing what he said. "Back at the house, the guys were talking and the said a few things about you and me. I got upset and walked out of the house, my feet just kind of lead me here and I've been skipping stones and thinking about what they said ever since then."

Dawn was surprised at what Ash was saying and asked "What is it that was being said about you and me that made you so upset?" Her mind was racing, _Is this going to be about what I think it's going to be? What is going on? What did they say? What was his response? Do I really want to know the truth?_  
"Well, long story short... They said that it was as if we were actually brother and sister." Ash finally got out. Dawn sat up when she heard him say this, her eyes wide. _So it really is about that then. _She waited for Ash to continue, but after a few seconds, he wasn't saying anything. Unsure of if she wanted to say it, but unable to stop herself she asked "So why did that bother you?" and waited anxiously for what Ash would say next.  
Ash sat there, scared, nervous, and afraid of the response to what he was about to say, but he was already too far to stop his words.  
"It bothered me... because..." pausing, he took a deep breath

"... I don't want to be your brother. I don't want you to... love me as a sibling, as a close friend. No, I want something else, a different kind of love. The kind of love that would make you cross any distance to see that person even if just for a second. The kind of love that stays alive through thick and thin. I want you to love me with the kind of love that you feel you can't live without the other person being in this world. I want you to love me with that kind of love because..." He took a deep breath, grabbed Dawn's shoulders, staring straight into her wide eyes.

"Because that is the kind of love I have for you."

_I did it, I really said it. How will she respond, will she find me creepy now? Can we continue our friendship if she doesn't feel the same way? What have I done? _As Ash was thinking these thoughts, Dawn was staring into Ash's unsure eyes, feeling his strong grip on her shoulders.

_He loves me... He really loves me... Not as a sister, or a close friend, but as a man loves a woman. _She started to sniffle as tears entered her eyes. _He really loves me!_ She smiled and said through her tears "I feel the same way Ash, I love you more than I love a friend, or a sibling. I love you more than the world!"

And with that she fell over onto Ash, surrounding him in an embrace. Ash was stunned, there were no words that could describe how he felt. He hugged Dawn close to him, tightly, but not so much it hurt her. A few tears of joy trickled down his cheek as he embraced the soft body of the person he loved. They stayed like that for a while, just enjoying the moment. Finally after they had calmed down, they separated from their embrace and the walnut colored eyes of Ash stared into the deep blue colored eyes of Dawn, Not noticing the sky was slowly getting lighter.  
Slowly, Ash lifted his hand to cup Dawn's cheek and slowly pulled her closer until their foreheads rested against each other, and he whispered

"Dawn, I love you."

And then he placed his lips over hers, kissing her softly. Dawn responded by wrapping her arms around Ash's neck and kissing him back.

"I love you too Ash." Dawn quietly replied after the kiss was over and snuggled close to Ash. Leaning her head on his shoulder and wrapping her arms around his body. Smiling, she at last fell asleep as the warm, morning sunrise cast a golden glow on the new couple.

* * *

**A/N: Yey! New fic done! So yeah, I'm sure it is pretty easy to see where I was stuck for most of the time and then randomly decided to finish. I would have spent more time going through and adding more details and better imagery, but without a firm grasp on what I had already wrote, I was afraid of using the same adjectives, similes, and metaphors too many times. Also, I did rush my publishing of the fic because I was afraid if I held onto it for proof-reading, I would end up not publishing it at all. I hope you still enjoyed reading it even if it has my changing writing style over 3 years. Read, review, enjoy, send me PMs, I always enjoy a good conversation. This will probably be the last fan fiction I write, but you never know what life has in store for you. For those who are interested in writing a fan fiction of their own but aren't sure how, or where to start. Send me a PM and I'll do what I can to help you out! Well this Author's note is getting way too long so if you have any questions for me, PM me.  
Happy Reading!  
Javanos **


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